Around the World in 94 Days

Today is a bittersweet day, because I have just arrived home (to Prague) from my last trip around Europe.  My dad asked me via skype earlier what my favorite city had been so far, and I didn’t have a definite answer.  So I have decided to give each place I have visited its own award based on what I loved most about it:

Budapest: Best City Along a River

I love cities with rivers going through them, but I have to say Budapest does the river thing the best.  With a castle, Parliament, and the Chain Bridge all along the Danube, it was beautiful to walk along there during the day and even more beautiful to do a river cruise at night when everything was lit up.

Munich (Oktoberfest): Most Comeback Potential

Oktoberfest is a cool German experience, but it is one of those things that you should know what you are doing going into it—versus just booking a bus ticket and a tent a week before you go.  With the right group and the right travel arrangements, as well as time for sightseeing in Munich, I could definitely redo Oktoberfest the right way.

 

Rome: Historical Heaven Years of theology, Latin, and art history finally became useful when I was in Rome.  Between wandering through the ruins of the Forum and getting to explore the Vatican at night, I don’t think I will ever have another experience so rich in the history I have spent years studying.

Berlin: The Cool Kid Place to Live

With tons of contemporary art, futuristic buildings, and a students and artists’ part of town featuring murals on the Berlin wall, this has to be some sort of hipster Mecca.  I had no expectations for Berlin, but I ended up wishing I could have spent more time there.

 

Ireland: Most Perfectly Met Expectations

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Ireland was everything that Hollywood and my Irish heritage promised me.  I would love to spend a few weeks there seeing the whole countryside and few more cities.

 

Florence: The Total Package

It was hard to decide what stuck out most about Florence, because there were so many good things.  I got to see Michelangelo’s David, hang out with my friend Sam, and eat the best pizza I have ever had (Gusta Pizza).  Basically an all-around great trip.
 

Venice: The Pretty City

Venice was small, but stunning.  The canals and the colors make it unlike any place I’ve seen before.  Sam and I spent most of our day lost in random allies with flower boxes and laundry over our heads, but we were perfectly okay with that.
 

Paris: Too Good to Be True

Paris was perfect.  For almost four days I forgot the rest of the world existed and lived in a city of gothic churches, cool bookstores, crepes, art museums, easy public transportation, and just all around beautiful streets…I could go on forever about Paris.  In a perfect alternate universe, I live in Paris in an apartment with wrought iron, a flower box, and shutters, and I ride my bicycle around all day to get my baguettes.  And I’m perfectly fashionable.  Again, I could go on all day about Paris. 

 

Vienna: Best Decked

Vienna was a lot like Prague, only with a lot more Christmas decorations.  Think giant sparkling lights hanging over the streets of the city center.  Not to mention some out of this world Christmas markets.  Definitely the perfect time of year to go. 

I can’t believe I am done travelling, but hopefully by this time next year I will have found a way to add a few more cities to this list.